I didn’t think Pinterest was of much use to any wedding creative – stationers included – or engaged couple until we were able to collectively (group) pin and pin to secret boards. Now? It’s game on.

Here’s the thing: most people are doing it wrong.

I occasionally look through the pins of those that I’m following and see the same things over and over and over (ad nauseam) again. Whether its hairstlyes or escort cards or food displays, couples and creatives alike are always pinning the same thing. You know what that leads to?

Cookie-cutter weddings.

And I’m not down with cookie cutter weddings.

So here’s my five-step plan to pin for your unique wedding.

1. Stop re-pinning.

   Seriously. Stop. Quit looking at your home feed. Especially if you’re following a lot of other people pinning wedding-related stuff. Look: it’s great if you and your friends have a similar style; but let that come to light serendipitously, not because you’re constantly hijacking their pins.

2. Hack it for efficiency
   

   Well, it’s not really hacking, but it will make you more efficient. First, make sure you’ve got the pin button or a bookmarklet installed in your browser. Pin while you surf. Second, if you’re an avid RSS user (like me), consider using Feedly. It provides one-click pinning straight from the reader.

3. Stop pinning wedding blogs (and websites)
   

   If you want your wedding to look just the the ones you see on the blogs, pin the blogs.
   Now, I have several wedding blog- and website-publishing friends. They’re great and I love the awareness their work brings to the industry. If you can use what you see on their websites as a starting point for your own creative endeavours, it just might work. Otherwise, pin the stuff you’re looking at when you’re not looking at wedding stuff. The fashion. The home-decor. The art. Use those pins as a springboard for a wedding that’s uniquely yours.

4. One board to rule them all
   

   I may get some flack for this, but it is what it is: don’t separate your pins into “stationery” and “dress” and “reception” or whatever other categories you think you need. Use the comments section to organize your pinboard and communicate the key points (what you like about) each pin. Pinning all of your wedding-related pins in the same board gives a strong perspective of the overarching style of your wedding. This will help you and your hired guns (wedding creatives) craft a unique wedding that reflects your style.

5. Branch out
   

   One of my favorite examples of outside inspiration used for a wedding is this photo taken by Danilo Siqueira. The inspiration came from a Brazilian fashion campaign, not Jasmine Star or Amelia Lyon. As amazing as their work is, the whole wedding world is ingesting their stuff. You can see their influence everywhere. If you want your wedding to be unique, stop feeding from the same trough as everyone else.

   Some of my favorite sources of inspiration include: Co. Design, Things Organized Neatly, and Cool Hunting. What are yours?

I spend a lot of time thinking about the nature of originality. I’m still not convinced that there is such a thing as truly original (Austin Kleon agrees if I read him right), but you can get a few steps ahead and at least draw from influences that your guests might not recognize if you follow these steps.